It’s been a busy couple of weeks! In case you’ve missed the action, here’s what we’ve covered on Chicago Bites:
Seared pork tenderloin from Lokal.
On the Fourth of July, we looked at red, white and blue food.
Our continuing quest for the best croissants took us to Floriole Bakery in Lincoln Park. It also took us to Bakin’ & Eggs in Lakeview.
We tried the $45 Monday night prix fixe menu at Lokal, which proved to be a good value.
I made my once-yearly foray into Indian food with a look at Paprika. And once a year you should return to Mercat a la planxa to remember how good the food really is there.
Pink peppercorns from the spice house.
We visited three Chicago businesses — Intelligensia, Nicole’s Crackers and Spice House — on the City of Chicago’s Top Shelf Tour.
We couldn’t let July 11th go by without commemorating the Slurpee. And then we kept things cool with some gelato from Black Dog Gelato.
Another food holiday, National French Fry Day, made us remember the duck fat fries at Hot Doug’s.
Cornerstone Cafe proved to be a nice spot for lunch before taking in a movie. And finally, we recounted a recent brunch experience at Bakin’ & Eggs. Bacon flight, anyone?
Look for the next round-up in a few weeks or get up-to-the minute updates on Twitter, Facebook, or Email.
Posted in: Odds & Ends.
Tagged: 7 Eleven · Bakin' & Eggs · Black Dog Gelato · Cornerstone Cafe · Floriole · Lokal · Mercat a la planxa · Paprika · Slurpee · Top Shelf Tour
The croissant looks a little over done, but was quite tasty.
We ordered a croissant at brunch — you knew we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add to our Chicago croissant knowledge. Even though Bakin’ & Eggs is owned by Lovely, the baking happens here so we felt we could consider it a separate stop on the quest to find croissant nirvana.
The croissant here had the appearance of being over baked, but those issues remained on the surface. After the initial taste, the croissant proved to have a moist, buttery interior. It was flaky, but not dry. Our table considered it an acceptable croissant, but not nearly as good as some we’ve found.
The quest for the best croissant continues! Have a place to suggest? Leave us a comment or send a tweet.
You can skip the sit-down meal and go straight for the baked goods at Bakin' & Eggs.
Bakin’ & Eggs
3120 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657-3131
(773) 525-7005
Plain croissants are $2.50, chocolate croissants are $2.75.
Croissant Quest 2010 Establishments (in order of preference):
- Beans & Bagels
- Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafter
- Floriole
- Bakin’ & Eggs
- Lovely Bake Shop
- Sweet Cakes Bakery
- Fritz Pastry
- Bulldog Bakery
Posted in: Bakery, Lakeview.
Tagged: Bakin' & Eggs · croissant · croissantquest2010 · croissants
The frittatas at Bakin' & Eggs are large enough to share.
We had brunch over the weekend at Bakin’ & Eggs — the Lakeview spot owned by the folks at Lovely. There was a spacious seating area on the bakery side of B&E and we were able to spend the 30 minute wait by gazing at the array of cupcakes, macaroons and croissants. They all looked yummy and, I couldn’t help noticing, were color-coordinated with the decor.
We were very hungry by the time we slid into our pew, so went for a selection of frittatas (sundried tomato, asparagus & salmon-dill varieties), a flight of bacon, and sides of cheese grits, potatoes, chicken apple sausage and ham. It was enough to feed an army of lumberjacks but we managed to do it justice. After we took the edge off, we were able to appreciate nice touches like the homemade raspberry jam that came with the toast. Everything was delicious. And though I didn’t try the bacon myself, the meat eaters at the table went into raptures over the slabs.
Service here was a little shaky, even after the rush of the brunch crowd had passed. We had to ask for half our drink order and our waiter disappeared a few times. Also, splitting the check four ways apparently means something completely different at B&E than other places. Why itemize when everyone’s sharing dishes? They also take the diner route of paying at the counter, but that was a little disconcerting after the waiter/sit and eat vibe up to that point. Admittedly these are small things, but they make a difference in the customer experience.
Having said that, I would go back to Bakin’ & Eggs. We stuck to the savory side of the menu and skipped the sweets and breakfast sandwiches. The banana bread french toast sounded and looked interesting as did the bacon waffle. Yes, a return trip is definitely in order.
Bacon flight? Yes, please.
Bakin’ & Eggs
3120 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657-3131
(773) 525-7005
If you’ve been to Bakin’ & Eggs and want to share your experience, please leave a comment or send us a tweet. See more photos from Bakin’ & Eggs on our Facebook page.
Posted in: Breakfast & Brunch, Lakeview.
Tagged: Bakin' & Eggs
Real veggies in a veggie burger? Say it ain't so!
Stopped by Cornerstone Cafe over the weekend for lunch before catching a movie across the street. Instead of a typical Boca burger, I was surprised to get a veggie burger made with real, honest-to-gawd vegetables. I could actually see the peas, carrots, and corn! Sure it was a little mushy, but very tasty. And the sweet potato fries? I don’t typically see them at diners and these were perfect. Looks like I may have found a great dinner & a show combo.
Cornerstone Cafe makes the best use of a busy street corner.
Cornerstone Cafe
2753 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647-2015
(773) 235-1155
Posted in: Bucktown, Diners.
Tagged: Cornerstone Cafe · sweet potato fries · vegetarian burger · veggie burger
Jul 13th, 2010
by Bridget.
Hot Doug's duck fat fries get a lot of buzz and the look good too!
It’s French fry day, so get “some fries with that” to celebrate! Just promise me you’ll steer clear of Mickey D’s. There are fries in this city much more worthy of your attention. In fact, at Chicago Bites good fries are not just a side dish — good fries can be lunch! Who needs a burger when you’ve got amazing fries?
My favorites include the sweet potato fries at Rockit Bar and Grill, the curry fries at The Gage, and the truffle fries at David Burke’s Primehouse. As far as fast food fries are concerned I like M Burger’s. What fries do you like? Leave us a comment or send us a Tweet.
Posted in: Odds & Ends.
Tagged: french fries · fries
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